The present invention relates to methods and devices for joining building structures, and more particularly, to methods and devices for joining building panels such as roofing, wall and flooring panels to frame members.
Metal building structures, such as roof, floor and wall structures typically include a plurality of spaced supporting members, such as purlins, joists or girts, to buttress the structures. A series of relatively rigid interlocked roof or wall panels is placed upon the supporting members and traverses the gaps between the members. Typically, the panels are lapped and sealed, depending upon the length of the roof or wall and the panel length. A clip connector is utilized to couple the panels to the supporting members. The connector comprises a clip and a generally U-shaped base slidably mounted to the clip. The base has a generally horizontal channel extending therethrough, and the clip is movable in the channel. When the panels are coupled to the clip, the roof or wall structure is movable with respect to the supporting members. Such a connector having a clip and a base is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,522,005 to Seaberg et al.
However, there are several drawbacks with such a clip connector design. For example, when attaching a clip connector to an underlying supporting member, a fastener, such as a self-drilling screw, is passed through the base of the connector and into the supporting member. However, the fastener may be overtightened such that the base clamps against the clip retained in the channel, which prevents the clip from freely sliding in the base. Furthermore, when a self-drilling screw is utilized as the fastener, shavings generated by the screw may build up around the shank of the screw beneath the base which prevents the base from being seated properly on the supporting member.
The clips of such prior art connectors also may have disadvantaged. For example, holes typically are positioned along the top of the clips which allow sealant to be distributed between overlapping panels to form a seal between the panels and the clip. However, hole patterns in existing clips do not always provide for effective, continuous distribution of the sealant which can lead to a faulty seal. Furthermore, the profile of the top of the clips optimally should provide for a snug fit between the overlapping panels and the clip. However, existing clip designs do not provide an integral fit with several panel designs.
Further drawbacks in existing clips exist in the foot design of the clip, which may not always properly retain its shape. This can inhibit effective sliding of the clip within the associated base. Finally, prior art clips do not provide a support surface on which the panels may be rested during attachment of the panels to the clip. This causes inconvenience to the worker when attaching the panels.